It is already known to produce and use dyes for dyeing silicones and other polymers which are built up from an organic amino-silicon compound. These latter compounds are used because they are easily accessible and are capable of many varieties of reaction. Thus it was already proposed to make azo dyes by reaction of aminoarylalkylsilanes with suitable intermediate dyes. For instance, for dyeing glass fibers, the hydroxyl groups in the glass surface were reacted with the silane solution capable of coupling, and subsequently treated with a diazotized solution (U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,459). It is moreover possible to produce silicon-containing azo dyes by diazotation of aminoarylalkylsilanes and subsequent coupling with aromatic compounds (U.S. Pat. No. 2,927,839).
Triazin dyes are further known made by reaction of aminoalkylalkoxysilanes with aminoazo dyes and cyanur chloride (U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,338). Also thiazine dyes made by oxidation of a mixture of arylaminoalkylsilane p-diaminoazobenzene and thiosulfate (U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,898) as well as triarylmethane dyes from arylaminoalkylsilane with arylaldehyde or arylketone (U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,899). Hemzawi and Jones, J. Soc. Dyers and Colorists 85(9), 40 (1969) presented anthraquinone dyes which contain the aminoalkylsilyl group.
From U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,888,891, 3,963,744 and 3,981,859 dyes have become known which are especially compatible with silicones if they contain as silicon component a tris-(trimethylsiloxy-)silylalkylamino radical. These are mainly quinone-, indigo-, thioindigo-, phthalocyanine- and azo dyes.
However, the preparation of the mentioned silicon-containing dyes is very expensive because complicated operations have to be carried out. In these, the functional silicon groups contained in the starting components are removed which are responsible for the good compatibility with other materials so that these groups are no longer effective as reactive groups. It follows that a lasting coloring of e.g. silicone resins, silicone rubbers, and other silicone products based on syneresis phenomena during hardening or cross-linking will be prevented from occurring with these dyes. The tris-(trimethylsiloxy-)silyl group is no longer capable of reacting with suitable functional groups in the polymers so that the dyes remain in the polymers only by physical force but without chemical anchoring.